Collapsible support for garment hangers



Jan. 3, 1939. E. R. WENDELL 2,142,830

COLLAPSIBLE SUPPORT FOR GARMENT HANGERS Filed March 5, 1958 [NI EN TOR.

ELMEZ, EA wENDELL A TTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES COLLAPSIBLE SUPPORT FOR GARMENTHANGERS Elmer R. Wendell, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor of one-half toJens Juul, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application March 3, 1938, Serial No. 193,680

9 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in collapsible supports'for clotheshangers.

The primary'object of my invention is to provide a collapsible devicewhich may be mounted upon the inner side of a close or clothes pressdoor and which, in an extend d position, will allow garment hangers ofthe usual kind to be readily placed thereon and which may then becollapsed or swung upwardly to support the garments and their hangers ina relatively compact condition so that they will occupy the very minimumof space. The device is thus of great utility where space is at apremium and in locations which do not permit the use of the usual hangerrods or hooks.

Another object is to provide a device of this character which issuitable for mounting on the face of the usual paneled door and whichwill be secured thereto only at the thick upper rail or cross member ofthe door, the device then depending down over the panel of the door andcarrying at its lower end adjustable bumper and supporting meansarranged to engage the door panel and support the device against thepanel without marring the same. The bumper means, being adjustable,permit the device to be readily mounted on a door of any thickness andhaving the panels recessed from the door face to any ordinary distance.

Another object is to provide a device of this character embodying abracket bar for securing to the door rail as described and havingattached to its lower end a swingable hanger bar provided with recessesalong its length to accommodate and support the garment hangers andhaving at its free enda latch member arranged to automatically lock thehanger bar in a substantially vertical position but having also a handleby which the latch may be readily released so that the hanger bar may beswung downwardly to a horizontal position where it is supported by astop lug turned from a bracket secured to the bracket bar.

A further object is to provide a device as described in a simple,inexpensive and practical form and in which the entire assembly isparticularly suited to the purposes in view with all necessaryadjustments provided.

With the foregoing and other more detailed objects in view the inventionresides in the novel assembly and arrangement now to be described,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device as mounted on a door, thehanger arm being in its extended position.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section along the line 2-2 in Figure land showing the hanger bar in closed or collapsed position.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of my device alone.

Figure 4 is an enlarged horizontal cross section along the line 44 inFigure 2.

Referring now with more particularity to the drawing, I provide anelongated flat mounting bracket or bracket bar as indicated at 5 andwhich is provided at its extended upper end with several apertures 6through which screws 1 may be driven to secure the bar to the upper railor frame member A of the door B. The door B has the usual panels C whichstand inwardly from the face of the door frame or rails some distance asclearly shown in Figure 2 and, with the bracket bar 5 mounted in avertical position on the door rail, it will be evident that the bar willdepend down alongside the upper door panel C and stand spaced somedistance therefrom as indicated at 8.

In order then to provide a bearing for the lower end of the bracket bar5 against the door panel C, I provide an L-shaped bracket 9 which hasone web I mounted flat against the outer face of the bar at its lowerend and which is secured thereon by "means of the upper and lower pairsII and I! of screws. The upper screws II are passed through the bar 5from its inner side (nearest the door B) and are tapped into the bracket9, while the lower screws l2 are similarly mountedbut are considerablylonger, have the rounded heads l3 and are provided with lock nuts H.These screws l2 thus extend inwardly of the bracket bar 5 some distanceand they may be adjusted in the amount of this extension so that theirheads l3 will contact the face of the door panel C and bear against thispanel when the bracket bar stands parallel therewith. This arrangementis clearly shown in Figure 2. To prevent marring the door panel theheads of the screws I! may be rubber or felt covered, if so desired.

The bracket 9 being thus mounted, the web 15 thereof stands outwardly atright angles to the outerface of the bracket bar 5 and an elongated,narrow hanger arm [6 is pivotally mounted at one end by a rivet I! tothe upper portion of this bracket web i5. The hanger arm I 6 may thusswing in a vertical plane from a horizontal position upwardly edgewisetoward the upper end of the bracket bar. A stop lug l8 turned at rightangles from the lower outer edge of the bracket web I5 is arranged tolie in the path of the hanger arm l6 and engage the same (Figure 1) tolimit the downward movement to the point that the arm will extendoutward in a horizontal plane at its lowest position.

The hanger arm l6 has a plurality of apertures l9 spaced along itslength and opening by angular/slots 20 out through the upper edge of thearm (in its horizontal position) so that garment hangers of the usualtype (not shown) may be readily hung on the arm. When the hangers, andthe garments thereon, are thus supported on the hanger arm I6 there willbe a strain or stress placed against the lower end of the bracket bar 5such as to cause it to tend to move inwardly toward the door panel C. Itis to prevent this action, and to prevent distortion of the bracket bar,that the screws l2 are used to support the lower end of the bar againstthe door panel as will be readily evident.

An additional hanger may also be supported in an aperture 2| formed inthe bracket web I5 below the pivotal connection of the hanger arm I 6. I

To support the hanger arm IS in its raised or collapsed position Iprovide a latch or latch bar, 22 pivotally mounted at 23 to the free orouter end of the arm and having one end extended and provided at itslower edge with a notch 24 and with the extremity beveled off as shownat 25. The upper end of the bracket bar 5 then has an ear or lug 26turned outwardly and horizontally from one corner and located in thepath of the latch 22 so that, as the arm I6 is swung upwardly, thebeveled end 25 of the latch will ride up over the ear 26 and drop downinto a notch 21 cut therein to thus lock the hanger arm in raisedposition as shown in Figure 2. The latch 22 is spring set by aretractile coil spring 28 stretched between mounting holes 29 and 30 inthe latch and the hanger arm l6 at adjacent points so that the latchwill normally stand in position to thus engage the ear 26. This movementof the latch 22 under influence of the spring 26 is limited by a smalllug ll turned over from the extremity of the hanger arm l6 to engage thelatch.

At its frontal end the latch 22 is twisted axially through ninetydegrees and bent to provide a handle 32 extended downwardly as shownand.

by simply pressing this handle, the latch may be swung upwardly torelease it from the ear 26 and allow the hanger arm l6 to be lowered.

It will be noted that the bracket 8 is so located on the bracket bar 5that the web I5 is spaced from the adjacent vertical edge of the bar.vAs a result the hanger arm l6 moves in a vertical plane in alignmentwith the ear 26 and the latch 22 will properly engage this ear.

In use the device is mounted as described upon the inner face of thedoor B and, with the hanger arm I 6 pulled down, the garment hangers andgarments may be readily disposed along the arm.

mounting upon paneled doors, as described. may also be mounted in a flatsurface such as a wall by simply replacing the screws II and I2 withscrews driven into the wall. The bracket bar I will be used at all timesand will serves, in this other mounting, at least, as a template andsupport for properly mounting the device on the well. Anothermodification readily suggesting itself is to form the supporting web l5for the hanger arm l6 by turning out a flange from the bracket bar 5instead of using a separate bracket. In this case the screws l2 maystill be employed for the adjustable bearing and support against thedoor panel.

It is understood that I may make minor variations in the assembly asherein shown and described in order to best provide a practical devicefor the purposes intended, so long as such changes lie within the spiritand the scope of the appended claims. 1

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A garment hanger comprising a bracket bar having a slotted ear turnedoutwardly from one end, a vertically disposed bracket on the oppositeend of the bar and having a web turned outwardly from the bracket barand in the same vertical plane as the said ear, a hanger arm pivotallymounted at one end on the said bracket and adapted to swing adjacent thebracket bar, a stop lug turned from the bracket into the path of thehanger arm to thereby limit swinging movement thereof away from thebracket bar, a latch pivotally mounted on the extended end of the hangerarm and having its face end beveled oil and notched to thereby ride upon and en- 'gage the said ear on the bracket bar as the arm is swungadjacent thereto, and a handle extended from the latch for operating thesame to release from the said ear.

2. A garment hanger comprising a bracket bar having a slotted ear turnedoutwardly from one end, a vertically disposed bracket on the oppositeend of the bar and having a web turned outwardly from the bracket barand in the same vertical plane as the said ear, a hanger arm pivotallymounted at one end on the said bracket and adapted to swing adjacent thebracket bar, a stop lug turned from the bracket into the path of thehanger arm to thereby limit swinging movement thereof away from thebracket bar, a latch pivotally mounted on the extended end of the hangerarm and having its face end beveled oif and notched to thereby ride upon and engage the said ear on the bracket bar as the arm is swungadjacent thereto, and a handle extended from the latch for operating thesame to release from the said ear, screws mounting the bracket on thebracket bar, and the screws being ad- .iustable to project from the faceof the bracket bar oppositely to the said bracket.

3. A garment hanger comprising a bracket bar having a slotted ear turnedoutwardly from one end. a vertically disposed bracket on the oppositeend of the bar and having'a web turned outwardly from the bracket barand in the same vertical plane as the said ear, a hanger arm pivotallymounted at one end on the said bracket and adapted to swing adjacent thebracket bar, a latch pivotally mounted on the extended end of the hangerarm and having its face end beveled oil. and notched to thereby ride upon and engage the said ear on the bracket bar as the arm is swungadjacent thereto, and a handle extended from the latch for operating thesame to release from the said ear.

4. A garment hanger comprising a bracket bar having a slotted ear turnedoutwardly from one end, a vertically disposed bracket 0n the oppositeend of the bar and having a web turned outwardly from the bracket barand in the same vertical plane as the said ear, a hanger arm pivotallymounted at one end on the said bracket and adapted to swing adjacent thebracket bar, and a latch pivotally mounted on the extended end of thehanger arm and having its face end beveled off and notched to therebyride up on and engage the said ear on the bracket bar as the arm isswung adjacent thereto.

5. A garment hanger comprising a bracket bar having mounting means atone end, and a locking member adjacent that end, a hanger arm adjustablymounted at the opposite end of the bracket bar, a spring set latchmember mounted at the free end of the hanger arm and adapted toreleasably engage the said locking member to thereby retain the hangerarm in adjusted position, a stop member on the bracket bar for retainingthe hanger arm in a further adjusted position, and bearing screwsadjustably mounted on the bracket bar adjacent the end at which thehanger arm is mounted.

6. A garment hanger comprising a bracket bar having mounting means atone end and a locking member adjacent this end, a bracket at theopposite end of the bracket bar, a hanger arm pivotally mounted at oneend to the said bracket to thereby swing toward or away from the bracketbar on line with the said locking member thereon, and a spring pressedlatch member mounted at the free end of the hanger bar to releasablyengage the locking means as the hanger arm is swung toward thebracketbar.

7. A garment hanger comprising a bracket bar having mounting means atone end and a locking member adjacent this end, a bracket at theopposite end of the bracket bar, a hanger arm pivotally mounted at oneend to the said bracket to thereby swing toward or away from the bracketbar in line with the said locking member thereon, a spring pressed latchmember mounted at the free end of the hanger bar to releasably engagethe locking means as the hanger arm is swung toward the bracket bar, andthe said latch member being of such length that the hanger arm willstand spaced from the bracket bar at that end.

8. A garment hanger for mounting on a door having a frame rail and apanel set inwardly relative to the face of the frame rail, comprising abracket bar adapted to be secured at one end to the i ace of the framerail and supported in spaced relation to the panel, a bracket on theopposite end of the bracket bar, a hanger arm adjustably supported onthe bracket, cooperating locking means on the bracket bar and hanger armfor releasably locking the latter in one adjusted position, stop meanson the bracket and disposed to engage and limit the movement of thehanger arm away from its locked position, and screws mounting the saidbracket on the. bracket bar and adjustably extended from the bracket baron the side adjacent the door to thereby engage the door panel andsupport the assembly agains'tthe panel.

9. A garment hanger for mounting on a door having a frame rail and apanel set inwardly relative to the frame rail, comprising a bracket baradapted to be secured at one end to the face of the frame rail andextended over the panel in spaced relation outwardly thereof, a bracketon the free end of the bracket bar, a clothes hanger arm adjustablysupported on the bracket, and screws mounting the said bracket on thebracket bar, the said screws extending inwardly toward the door paneland being adjustable to contact the paneland support the free end of thebracket bar against the panel.

ELMER R. WENDELL.

